{"id":76830,"date":"2026-11-10T17:05:38","date_gmt":"2026-11-10T17:05:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/10\/see-bruce-springsteen-finally-play-western-stars-songs-in-public\/"},"modified":"2026-11-10T17:05:38","modified_gmt":"2026-11-10T17:05:38","slug":"see-bruce-springsteen-finally-play-western-stars-songs-in-public","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/10\/see-bruce-springsteen-finally-play-western-stars-songs-in-public\/","title":{"rendered":"See Bruce Springsteen Finally Play Western Stars Songs in Public"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tIt\u2019s been seven years since <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/t\/bruce-springsteen\/\" id=\"auto-tag_bruce-springsteen\" data-tag=\"bruce-springsteen\">Bruce Springsteen<\/a> released his acclaimed orchestral pop record <em>Western Stars<\/em>, but he\u2019s never played any of the songs at a public concert despite all the touring he\u2019s done in that time. That finally changed Monday evening when he performed his annual acoustic set at the Stand Up For Heroes benefit concert at New York City\u2019s David Geffen Hall. The show included the <em>Western Stars<\/em> songs \u201cHello Sunshine\u201d and \u201cMoonlight Motel,\u201d in addition to 2007\u2019s \u201cI\u2019ll Work for You Love\u201d and \u201cDancing in the Dark.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tIn keeping with the grand tradition of Stand Up For Heroes, which is organized by the<a href=\"https:\/\/bobwoodrufffoundation.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\"> Bob Woodruff Foundation<\/a> and has raised $123 million for veterans and their families over the past 20 years, Springsteen sprinkled dirty jokes throughout his set. (The show also included performances by Josh Johnson, Hasan Minhaj, the Resilient, Jon Stewart, and Alex Warren.)<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Bruce Springsteen - Hello Sunshine @ Stand Up for Heroes @ Lincoln Center 11\/9\/26\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xKF1aAhbj1M?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\t\u201cGuy goes into the library,\u201d Springsteen deadpanned to the crowd. \u201cGoes up to the librarian. He goes, \u2018Ma\u2019am, do you have a book on small penises?\u2019 She goes, \u2018I don\u2019t think it\u2019s in yet.\u2019 \u2018Yeah, that one.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Bruce Springsteen - I\u2019ll Work for Your Love - Stand Up for Heroes - NYC, NY - 11\/9\/26\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/YobJu24JvgY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tHe also revived the \u201cvoodoo penis\u201d joke that he told at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/music\/music-news\/stand-up-for-heroes-2018-bruce-springsteen-eric-church-jon-stewart-752327\/\">2018 Stand Up For Heroes event.<\/a> It\u2019s about a man who worries his wife will cheat on him while she\u2019s out of town, so he buys her a \u201cvoodoo penis\u201d that will magically go anywhere it\u2019s asked.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\t\u201cShe realizes the husband didn\u2019t tell her the word to turn off the voodoo penis,\u201d Springsteen said. \u201cAfter about 10 or 20 minutes, she\u2019s had enough. She\u2019s starting to get really nervous. \u2018I gotta go to the hospital.\u2019 She jumps in the car, hits the gas, she\u2019s going 90 miles per hour in a 25-mile-per-hour zone. And she gets pulled over by a state trooper. He says, \u2018License and registration.\u2019 She says, \u2018Officer, you don\u2019t understand. A voodoo penis! A voodoo penis!\u2019 He says, \u2018Voodoo penis, my ass.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Bruce Springsteen - Dildos - Moonlight Motel - Stand Up for Heroes  - NYC, NY - 9\/11\/26\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WKoJSHjZ94g?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tA joke about a sex shop worker selling a thermos to a woman requesting a plaid dildo was also familiar, though still delivered quite well. But the <em>Western Stars<\/em> songs were the clear highlight. In April 2019, Springsteen played the album in its entirety at a special concert in a barn on his New Jersey farm that was recorded for the <em>Western Stars<\/em> concert film and soundtrack. Last month, he sang \u201cStones,\u201d \u201cHello Sunshine,\u201d and \u201cMoonlight Motel\u201d during a private jam session at Danny Clinch\u2019s Transparent Clinch Gallery in Asbury Park, New Jersey, on the same bill as Tom Morello, Dave Matthews, Jesse Malin, Daryl \u201cDMC\u201d McDaniels, and Taylor Momsen. But neither of those events was open to the public.<\/p>\n<section class=\"brands-most-popular \/\/ editors-pick-module lrv-u-margin-tb-2 lrv-u-border-a-2 u-box-shadow-5-5 lrv-u-padding-lr-1 a-span1 u-padding-b-1@tablet u-overflow-hidden\">\n<h2 id=\"section-heading\" class=\"c-heading larva  lrv-u-text-align-center u-border-color-black a-font-theme-primary-xxs lrv-u-color-black lrv-u-text-transform-uppercase u-letter-spacing-0063 lrv-u-padding-t-050 u-padding-b-0375@tablet lrv-u-padding-b-050@mobile-max lrv-u-border-b-2\">\n<p>\t\tEditor\u2019s picks<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Bruce Springsteen - Dancing in the Dark @ Stand Up For Heroes Benefit, Lincoln Center NYC 11\/9\/26 \" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/giKkcSWEriQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tIn 2025, <a href=\"https:\/\/Transparent%20Clinch%20Gallery\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Springsteen explained to <em>Rolling Stone<\/em><\/a> why he\u2019d held back from playing songs from the album at his arena and stadium shows. \u201cIf I was going to do that, I\u2019d go out on probably a smaller tour, where I might engage an orchestra and play those records specifically,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen I go out with the E Street Band, I go out to do a rock show. I want to come out, put the pedal to the metal for three hours, and exhaust you, myself, and anybody in the immediate 20-mile vicinity. And so, there\u2019s certain things that mix and certain things that don\u2019t mix for me, and that\u2019s sort of the way I look at the work that I do with the band.\u201d<\/p>\n<section class=\"brands-most-popular \/\/ recirculation-modules trending-in-article lrv-u-margin-tb-2 lrv-u-border-a-2 u-box-shadow-5-5 lrv-u-padding-lr-1 a-span1 u-padding-b-1@tablet u-overflow-hidden\">\n<h2 id=\"section-heading\" class=\"c-heading larva  lrv-u-text-align-center u-border-color-black a-font-theme-primary-xxs lrv-u-color-black lrv-u-text-transform-uppercase u-letter-spacing-0063 lrv-u-padding-t-050 u-padding-b-0375@tablet lrv-u-padding-b-050@mobile-max lrv-u-border-b-2\">\n<p>\t\tTrending Stories<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Hello Sunshine - Bruce Springsteen (Western Stars 2019)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ItacaaT6Nsk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tStand Up For Heroes was the final event on Springsteen\u2019s public calendar for 2026. But he is working on two separate solo albums. \u201cI did finish one, and it is done,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/music\/music-features\/bruce-springsteen-new-concert-film-interview-reclaim-flag-12356231\">he told <em>Rolling Stone<\/em> in September.<\/a> \u201cI\u2019m in the process of working on this other one, which, because of the nature of the material, felt like it should come out first. So that\u2019s the situation I\u2019m in. I\u2019m trying to finish that up, and I\u2019d like to release that first. And then this other record that I made, which is not time-relevant, it can come out at any time and it\u2019ll work.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tHe\u2019s not sure exactly when he\u2019ll tour again. \u201cWell, we toured quite a bit, and we toured the previous spring,\u201d he said. \u201cWe toured this spring. And these days that\u2019s what I like to do. I would like to go out and do 20, 30 shows. I don\u2019t imagine a 140-show E Street tour will happen again. It\u2019s just time is too short right now. But I do imagine a good series of simply shorter tours where we touch different places at different times. And the band is playing so well. In my opinion, if you saw this show, you saw one of the best shows we\u2019ve ever done. The band is playing so well that we have a happy life there, and that\u2019ll continue.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/music\/music-news\/bruce-springsteen-western-stars-public-concert-1235655108\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s been seven years since Bruce Springsteen released his acclaimed orchestral pop record Western Stars, but he\u2019s never played any of the songs at&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":76831,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-76830","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pop","article","has-excerpt","has-avatar","has-author","has-date","has-comment-count","has-category-meta","has-read-more","thumbnail-"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76830","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76830"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76830\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76831"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76830"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76830"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76830"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}